The ShadowMusic Web Community

Just saw this by chance on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVmFlzksMCE

Brilliant video. Have seen this before and agree with every word. The whole 'tonewood' myth is just an attempt to get more money out of us for gear that quite frankly isn't worth it. How can the wood possibly influence the sound of an electric guitar? It can't possibly - a pickup is a magnetic device; it can only hear metal, not wood!

Hmm. Some interesting stuff there, but he does waffle, doesn't he? It could all have been said in 10 minutes.

The material that an electric guitar body and neck are made from will obviously have some effect on the sound. To take it to extremes, a guitar made out of rubber and a guitar made out of steel will obviously sound different even when transferring the same pickup from one to the other.

The material of the body affects the way that the strings vibrate, both in tone and sustain. The vibrations of the strings vibrate the body/neck and the material of the body/neck modifies those vibrations and feeds them back. It's a two-way feedback, which is why some (unplugged) solid guitars will ring out more than others when you strum across the strings. It depends on what they are made from and how they are made.

I agree Ray and have had several experiences over the years with what you are saying.
I bought a Tokai Les Paul a few years ago that looked stunning, but upon getting it home and using it I soon became disappointed hat I wasn't hearing what was expected from it. I didn't fully understand at the time about their different models and this one just sounded wrong. Upon investigation I read that my particular one had been made from a wood other than mahogany, I think it was an all maple body, thus the recognised warmth of a Les Paul sound was absent. It wasn't expensive for a second hand guitar at £250 and I quickly moved it on. I then went for the real thing, albeit the Tribute series Gibson Les Paul at £600 from Thomann and the sound was amazing as it was made from the recognised timber.
That was a lesson learned and more recently I have experienced similar with various Strats', moving out the ones that I didn't like the sound of when strummed acoustically. So on a solid guitar the wood does certainly make a difference to the way the pickups react, I've heard it first hand.

So all these things that we have been told about tone woods is incorrect is it? I don't think so! does he know more than the great builders from the past 50 or so years! I again think not! my ears tell me that there is a difference.

Unfortunately chaps it's been proved scientifically many times that wood has no effect on sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mH5hwLkxCI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DZTwue6Bgw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFyQXy74xz4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cZdGM0TEHQ

Uncle Fiesta wrote:Unfortunately chaps it's been proved scientifically many times that wood has no effect on sound.

Then why two guitars of identical model and built the same don't always sound exactly the same ?

There are indeed interactions between the strings and all the materials used in the guitar, and two pieces of wood are not always perfectly identical.

Didier

Unfortunately two guitars cannot prove anything. There could be many other differences between two guitars and not just the wood. Construction, strings, hardware, electronics, pickups, and of course the most important, setup.

To prove anything one way or the other you need to take all the parts and fit them, in turn, to two different bodies, and set the two guitars up exactly the same. They also have to be plugged into the same amp, with exactly the same settings as before, connected to the same recording equipment, again with exactly the same settings, and played by the same player with the same plectrum. Also the player must be unaware of which guitar he is playing; this is called a blind test.

If I see a test like this, I might believe the results; the only one I have seen so far that comes close to it (the first video I posted) proves that there is no difference.

Just a little example, last year I had a Tele hollow body made for me routed for two Gretsch Filtertron pickups Bigsby etc, after completing the body I purchased a maple neck/fingerboard, this neck was not of the highest quality it felt OK and I thought that it would be fine! the result was a very poor sounding guitar nothing like it sum of parts suggested it should sound! I then decided maybe the neck is the culprit,so I purchased a good quality fender lic neck, the result a great sounding guitar! I do have many more examples like this over my many years repairing and playing guitars. It does not matter what tests these guys do in the end there is only one that really matters.. and that is your ears! some have better ones than others.

kevinr wrote:Just a little example, last year I had a Tele hollow body made for me routed for two Gretsch Filtertron pickups Bigsby etc, after completing the body I purchased a maple neck/fingerboard, this neck was not of the highest quality it felt OK and I thought that it would be fine! the result was a very poor sounding guitar nothing like it sum of parts suggested it should sound! I then decided maybe the neck is the culprit,so I purchased a good quality fender lic neck, the result a great sounding guitar! I do have many more examples like this over my many years repairing and playing guitars. It does not matter what tests these guys do in the end there is only one that really matters.. and that is your ears! some have better ones than others.

Correct!